A Ruby's Shine (Thorin Oakenshield X OC)

16. Revealing Small Secrets

I sighed and shook my head as Fairfin finished the grapes. IF I keep thinking over her words, I am going to drive myself mad. Sadly, only time will give me the answer I search for. So, to get my mind off her riddles, I started farther into the groove, to the west of Rivendell. The sun had just set, giving the last few rays of light before the forest became lit with the white lights in the trees, casting an ethereal glow to the grove around me.

Soon I reached the familiar stones one could hop across to the other side. I quickly and easily jumped across these stones like I did as a child, glad the stream had not covered them with time. I continued across a few streams and a rather larger river that I don't remember being that wide before i found what I was looking for.

I stopped and smiled at the rock cliff, running my right hand along the carved names into the rock, stopping over the carved initials of my name in the rock, a set of knives crossed under my name that I remember carving myself into the rock.

"Who are you, really?" I suddenly heard an angry, irritated, impatient voice sound. I looked and wasn't shocked to see Thorin standing there since he is one of the only people I know who can sound so grumpy and annoyed all the time.

I glared in annoyance at the royal dwarf that keep trying to pry into my past, also annoyed that people keep on sneaking up on me without me noticing their approach. Especially since Thorin is a dwarf and I have seen that the dwarves are not quiet people.

"What do you mean?" I said, resigned to having this conversation. Plus, I am exhausted and not really in the mood to argue away my remaining energy.

"I mean, you are an extremely short female human, the shortest I have ever seen. You display a way of talking, walking, and acting that I have only seen among nobles. You know Sindarin, elvish runes, and seem quite knowledgeable in a lot of things. Yet, with all that, you are an extremely well taught fighter. One of the best I have seen, beyond Fili, at throwing and using knives and the most skilled with a sword I have seen by a female human. So, Philomena, who are you really?" He growled, staring me down intimidatingly as he stomped forward, proving my point of dwarves being not quiet people, until he was standing a foot away from me.

He crossed his arms stared into my eyes like a test of wills. His dark blue eyes were glinting like hard rock, and I honestly felt a touch intimidated. Normally people taller than me don't intimidate me, but I have the feel that with dwarf could easily match or best me in a fight.

Also, I hated myself for it, but I really was drawn to his eyes. Not just for their amazing color, but the fact that they literally do glint like rock or jewels, fitting for a dwarf. I looked down quickly, covering my internal embarrassment for dropping my guard for but a second.

I frowned as I thought. I knew that I needed to get the dwarves to trust me some for this journey, trust me to guard their backs or from them to guard mine. Thus, I needed to reveal some of my past to gain their trust. Also, the hidden unknown emotions I saw under the stone cold expression in Thorin's eyes made me want to reveal some of who I am. I blinked at that, wondering what was happening to me to want to reveal my past.

But, I won't give him anything important, not until I can trust him.

"My full name is not something I wish to share yet, Thorin, does some answers please you enough? There is much darkness in my past that is not something I wish to drag up from the pit I locked them in. I keep such things a secret because I do not wish to relive them." I said slowly, reaching out and touching the rock beside me as I ran my left hand through my loose hairs in agitation.

I looked up and noticed Thorin staring at my wrapped left hand, which I dropped as I leaned against the rock cliff, sitting on the grass. I suddenly realized Thorin had to have been following me here, because only me and a select few elves know the way to this place and where to find the stones to jump across the streams. I wouldn't be surprised if he was hoping to uncover something about me without my knowledge. I would just have to be more vigilant in the future.